When greed kills

How callous can a business become when it knows its products will kill people before we call its actions murder?

How callous can a business become when it knows its products will kill people before we call its actions murder?

Today we report that Latex Surgical Products knew that about half the condoms it produced for the government would leak when used.

So what did it do? Our sources allege the company responded by rigging its testing machines.

A technician called in from the US to repair the rickety plant allegedly informed the company's bosses that the machines were not up to the task.

They persisted and dumped the defective condoms on the Health Department. When the South African Bureau of Standards identified the killer condoms they allegedly paid off an inspector to foist the life-saving prophylactics on an unsuspecting public.

The factory has been closed and its principals face charges of fraud and corruption. That's it.

We are outraged. The millions whose lives have been risked for dubious profit deserve stronger action.